Christmas 2011

This was our 2nd Christmas as Mr. & Mrs. Kissel! Jake and I celebrated our little Christmas a week early. We spent the whole day together on Saturday the 17th - We went shopping for clothes for Jake (along with all of the last minute Christmas shoppers), had a nice dinner together, ate some cookies, exchanged gifts, and watched a Christmas Carol. We got each other new watches and we love them!! Yay!

Our cute little tree in our town house:

A few days later, we packed the car and headed to Knoxville to visit friends and family. We spent 4 great days in Knoxville with Mom and Dad, Seth and Emily, Caleb, and Grandma & Grandpa Haney. Then we spent a few days in Southern Ohio with the family, Sarah Lou, and Grandma and Grandpa Mills. Since we are all spread out all over the country, I never feel like we have enough time together when we visit!!

I love the family photos we took in Knoxville:

Above photo: Jake and I with my parents, brothers, and sister-in-law

Below photo: My immediate family + Grandma and Grandpa Haney

Grandma and Grandpa Haney:

Mama and her boys:

Seth and Emily:

Siblings!

Jake and I brought Alice (the cat) with us. She seems to really like traveling in the car and exploring new places. I wasn't sure how she would do with my parent's pets and all the new smells - but she was great and I'm glad she wasn't home alone for a week (how boring!).

  

I love my cat (as you can tell). She's so photogenic!

Zach, Catherine and Baby Mallory were also in town visiting Catherine's family. It was so good to see them on Christmas Eve day! They came over for breakfast with the Haney's.

Dad holding sweet Mallory:

Stuffing Balls are a family favorite and the recipe has been passed down from my Grandma's Grandma. They TRIPLED the Stuffing Balls recipe and didn't have a bowl big enough to contain the ingredients. This is what they used to mix the stuffing...

That's a lot of stuffing!

Grandma and Mom made a delicious Christmas dinner!

We all love playing cards and games together. You could find us almost every evening gathered around the table with a deck of cards.

We opened gifts and went to church on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day Grandma and Grandpa Haney flew back the their home in Fort Myers, FL and we all packed our cars and drove to Southern Ohio to visit the Mills'.

Love this picture of the whole family!

Mom, Sarah Lou, Grandma and Grandpa

Dad and Jake hanging out after we opened gifts

We are so blessed! So glad we got to be with family for Christmas.

A Christmas Tradition

Growing up, my family traveled to Ohio from our home in North Carolina every year for Christmas. Why? Because that is where our Grandparents and most extended family live! We would spend a few days in Canton, OH with the Haney clan and hopefully make it to the annual Cairns' Christmas Party and then drive 4 hours down to Lucasville, OH to see the Mills' and Great Grandma Cabiness. I have so many cherished memories at both of my grandparents' homes and I am so blessed to still have all 4 grandparents in my life. My sweet Great Grandma Sarah lived a full life and died at the age of 94 in November of 2006.

In addition to the tradition of visiting Grandparents for Christmas, a favorite tradition of mine is making and icing Christmas cut-out cookies. Last year for Christmas my parents passed down to me the Haney family cut-out cookie recipe and my Great-Great-Grandma Wilson's rolling pin! It's amazing to use a rolling pin that has been in my family for over a hundred years. I can't imagine how many delicious meals and desserts have been made with this solid wood rolling pin!

Cookie baking in full swing!

Jake adding some finishing touches!

PS - This is the only time I ever use food coloring!!

Think Twice When You Buy Eggs

I love eggs, but I try to avoid - at all costs - conventional eggs from the grocery store. Conventional eggs come from factory farm birds that are packed into wire cages and never see sunlight. Their feed is cheap - probably mostly corn and soy meals with all kinds of additives. We've all seen conventional eggs at the grocery store - they all look identical in size and color...maybe it's just me, but my common sense is telling me that not all eggs are a like. They should have different markings or be slightly different colors.

See the color differences in the yolks below? When a chicken can roam in a pasture and eat what it’s designed to, the eggs are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and nutrients.

Picture source

A pastured chicken is raised in its most natural environment, eating the same diet that it would eat if it was wild. To learn more about why your eggs should be more than just cage-free and organic, read here:  Free Range vs. Pastured and How to Decode Egg Cartons

 Picture of hard-boiled conventional egg yolks. Notice the pale yellow color.  

(I found this picture on Google since I didn't have any conventional eggs to take a picture of)

Picture of a hard-cooked pastured egg yolk (part of my breakfast this morning!). Notice that its color is much more orange. This is because the hen ate a chicken's natural diet - which is grass, seeds, plants, bugs and worms. The egg is much more nutritious and has more flavor.

The 2007 Mother Earth News egg testing project found that, compared to official USDA nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:

• 1/3 less cholesterol• 1/4 less saturated fat• 2/3 more vitamin A• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids• 3 times more vitamin E• 7 times more beta carotene 

I would simply encourage you to continue to eat eggs, but try to find a local farmer or vendor that sells pastured eggs!

ProA Christmas Party in Philly

Over the weekend Jake and I took a trip to Philadelphia (my first time!) for ProAutomated's Christmas Party. We had a great time with Jake's co-workers and their spouses. 

After we found our hotel, we met up with everyone and had a tasty dinner at Marathon Grill.

After dinner we all got a little more comfortable and let loose at Lucky Strike Lanes!

Chinatown!

Heart Disease Prevention

This is a funny video - it will make you laugh - but it is a serious reminder that cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer of American women.

80% of cardiac events in women could be prevented if women made the right choices for their hearts involving diet, exercise and abstinence from smoking. -American Heart Association

Fruits and veggies are the cornerstone for a heart-healthy diet. You can protect your heart and blood vessels by eating these heart-healthy foods: Salmon, tomatoes, ground flaxseed, oatmeal, almonds, walnuts, blueberries, carrots, spinach, broccoli, sweet potato, cantaloupe, papaya, red bell pepper, etc. etc.

Women (and men!) - Visit the American Heart Association to learn about the signs of a heart attack and to learn more preventative steps you can take to avoid heart disease!

Recipe: Healthy Eggnog without Eggs and Milk!

One thing I love about this time of year is eggnog, but I haven't had it in a really long time because it's so bad for you!! This is a great eggnog alternative if you love the flavor of the delicious drink, but don't love all the calories, fat and sugar!! According to the Today Show, you would have to do over 2,000 jumping jacks to burn off all the calories from an 8 oz. serving of traditional eggnog!

This alternative, all-natural eggnog is packed with nutrients! It's also dairy-free, egg-less, low-fat, and heart-healthy! You can even add a shot of rum to warm up on a cold evening!

Healthy Eggnog (1 serving)

1 cup vanilla, unsweetened almond milk (40 calories)

1 T. flax seeds, ground* (37 calories)

1/2 t. organic cinnamon (3 calories)

1/4 t. organic nutmeg (3 calories)

1/2 t. pure vanilla (6 calories)

1 scoop Vanilla Complete (110 calories)

1 t. honey (20 calories)

ice cubes

Optional Ingredients: Add a little baked sweet potato or pumpkin puree

Mix all ingredients in a blender or VitaMix and enjoy!!

*I grind my flax seeds in a coffee grinder, but if you are using a VitaMix, you don't have to grind them.

Cheers to your health!

Favorite Fall Foods

I If you haven't noticed, I love Fall themed foods...
Below are some of my favorites from this Fall. If you want a recipe, let me know!!

Cran-Apple Oatmeal Bake

Recipe adapted from Mrs. Meeker! Thanks for sharing this awesome dish! I've changed a few things and even added pears one time...very tasty!

Maple Roasted Butternut Squash

Delicious and so easy! Just toss the chopped squash with maple syrup and bake at 400 until tender.

Corn Chowder (or as Jake calls it - Fire Soup)

It took me 3 attempts at making this chowder to perfect the recipe! The first 2 times, it was extremely spicy! The first time I made it I added 2 T. cayenne pepper and the last time I made it, I only added 1/4 t. of cayenne! I usually make a pot of this on Sunday night and take it to work for my lunches all week since Jake isn't a fan of the cayenne - but he did like it the 3rd time I made it!

Homemade Applesauce

Hand-picked organic apples...so good!  Of course I tried the hot applesauce on top of vanilla ice cream with cinnamon and oats!